Rancho Bernardo shows power, pitching

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The signature moment of this San Diego Section Division II second-round playoff game happened in the fifth inning Friday when Rancho Bernardo catcher Alex Jackson hammered a 400-foot shot over the fence and Steele Canyon center fielder Nathan Murray didn’t even turn around to see it leave the Broncos’ ballpark.

“My home run swing was on today,” said the 6-foot-2, 215-pound sophomore. “Their pitcher got a curveball up and I got a good swing on it. The minute I hit it, I could feel it was going out.”

It was the first of two home runs Jackson hit in Rancho Bernardo’s 9-1 victory over the Cougars. The Broncos’ power-hitting backstop has 17 home runs, which leads the nation.

Jackson’s solo shot in the seventh inning was an opposite-field drive to right.

“I’ve really tried to learn how to hit line drives to all fields,” Jackson said. “I really haven’t kept track of my home run totals, but people keep telling me, so I guess I don’t have to.”

This was no one-man show. Leadoff man Gosuke Katoh was 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored for top-seeded Rancho Bernardo (29-9), which is trying to win a Division II title after two straight Division I crowns.